ok so why is it that when I am driving, people act like I don't exist?

Here is an example of what I mean...Take Broad St., a large part of it is 3 lanes (each side, 6 lanes total). So while I am driving, I tend to stay in the middle or left lanes. But no matter which lane I get into, I encounter this problem.. Someone FROM a side street will turn onto Broad St, heading in the same direction, but will almost always pull INTO the same lane I am in. It doesn't matter that the other two lanes can be completely free or that I will have to slam on the breaks to keep FROM getting shoved up their booties, they pick my lane. They pick my lane even if they have to cross over 2 other lanes to get INTO it. They don't pull INTO the lane closest to them (which is the proper thing to do anyway), not unless I happen to be in that lane. No, they skip that lane and go right for the middle or far lane FROM them, to be in front of me. On a number of occassions, I've had to all but slam on the brakes to keep FROM smashing INTO their vehicle. I don't know if they realize it or not, but when they do that, and an accident results FROM it, it's really THEIR fault, not mine. Failing to yield right of way comes to mind. Otherwise, why have stop signs? People could just whip on out in front of other people and say, "if you run INTO me, it's your fault even though you had no chance to stop it!"

Stupid people, I swear.

Ok so let's talk about tailgaters... OH MY GAWD could I go on and on about these morons. Last I heard, defensive driving meant driving 2 seconds (not 2 feet) behind the vehicle in front of you. So what happens? I see people driving up behind me, quickly closing distance, and then riding my tail, waving their hand for me to move over. What do I do? I try to decrease the fatality risk should there be an accident.. That's right, I take my foot off the gas and slow down. If I'm lucky, there is enough traffic that they can't just whip around INTO other lanes to get ahead of me. That way they have no choice but to get an emergency course in backing off. I don't understand what is so hard to understand about the concept either. If I'm on the interstate, and the speed LIMIT is 55, and I'm doing 65 (which you usually won't get pulled for around here), then I want to know, why should I speed up to let that moron past? If they want to get past me, fine, they can fly ahead of me until they crash their butts INTO a cement wall for all I care, but while behind me, they need to back off. Hey, I'm all for letting idiots pass me, because I use them to weed out speed traps up ahead. But while behind me, it's my rules that we follow. Again, I could write a novel on this!

Ok let's flip the position some... I'm coming up behind someone, and slow down, looking for an opening to use to continue past SLOW people. I don't mean people who won't drive 75mph in a 35mph zone.. No, I mean people who do 40mph in a 45mph zone! And then get this, the people in the next lane are doing about the same speed. Here's the thing that takes it over the top though. It's a general rule that the left lane is considered the fast lane, and if you are gonna be a slowpoke, then merge to the right lane. So then why is it that there are a lot of people that will get INTO that lane and then SLOW DOWN? I don't get it. There can be 3 lanes to choose from, and they choose to drive slow in the left(fast) lane, and then I merge to the middle lane, start to pass them, and then they decide, "oh wait, i need to speed up while in this lane".. Yeah, ok, right. Let's pick up on that as being a self centered pain in the butt.

People who will speed up to get in front of me, only to slam on their breaks so they can make a turn (or to get onto an exit) just amaze me. Ok so they spent all that gas and time to gain nothing? Only thing they did was to slow me down and irk my nerves. If they know they are going to be making the next turn or getting off on the next exit, then they need to just keep their butt behind me and wait for me to get there. They don't gain any time by getting in front of me, because when they slow back down and then have to wait to finish making the turn, or slow down because someone is ahead of them anyway, all they did was burn up extra gas to get to the same spot. (STUPID)

This brings me to getting onto/exitting FROM interstates...When I am merging onto the interstate, I am in the 'acceleration lane', meaning I need to speed up to merge INTO the traffic. In many cases, it is also a deacceleration lane for those exitting the interstate. So what do people do? Of coruse, they do the stupid thing. By this, I mean that instead of saying, "oh wait, I need to slow down, so I'll get behind this person speeding up", they get the brilliant idea to speed up, pull INTO the lane just ahead of me, and start slowing down, thus slowing me down, when I need to be speeding up. That makes no sense to me, and I've never been able to figure it out. To me, it makes sense to get behind me while I'm speeding up, and if I see them merging behind me (thus getting off of the interstate), then it opens up that lane for me to merge over as well, so I've completely my merging onto the interstate and all I have to do is to finish adjusting my speed. That makes sense. Blocking me FROM merging over, and then pulling in front of me to slow me down, that makes me wonder why I can't just buy a gun and shoot them for being a complete waste of a human life.

Speaking of cutting people off, this gets me.. Left turns at intersections.When turning left, why do idiots think that you are supposed to drive beyond the middle point to turn left? When they do that, and 'force' the anyone FROM the other direction to do the same, the effect you get is that the drivers side of both vehicles pass each other to complete the turn. This is wrong! It's supposed to be the right(passenger) side of the vehicle that is supposed to pass each other. Why? Because, as I was taught in Drivers Ed, what if you get 2 long trucks that drive the same way? They will become stuck. They cannot complete their left turns because the other truck is in the way. Also, when you look at intersections, and think it through, you can see for yourself that you actually have to go out of your way to turn using the stupid method. So a lot of people are making extra work to be stupid. WHY IS THAT?!?

Oh boy.. And get this, these are just summaries, and not just one time events. If I were to list actual events... Let's just say that each stupid thing would have it's own post, and then some.

Phew.. I've been meaning to post that for awhile now.

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Wow...Stupid drivers are just all over the place. I bet I have the winner though. My mom and I were going to the social services office a couple weeks ago to apply for emergency food stamps because of the storm. We were in the left turn lane at Virginia Beach Blvd. and South Plaza Trail. Anyone who doesn't know anything about that intersection, 'cause I'm sure SoBe's the only one who'll know to which intersection I'm referring, just consider the busiest street in your city crossing a moderately busy street. Now FROM the direction we come, if you go down the Boulevard to get to the office, you end up HAVING to make a U-turn @ S. Plaza to get to the parking lot. At this intersection there is a light specific for the turn lane (meaning no green arrow, no turn) and a raised median. There were five cars ahead of us when the light turned red. A Land Rover that was 2 cars ahead of us decided, "Hey, 4 wheeldrive has a purpose afterall," so he jumps the curb to make an illegal U-Turn. Now keep in mind there are still cars AHEAD of him. So let's see what he's just done. He has run a red light, made an illegal turn, drove wrecklessly, endangered the lives of people around him, and illegally jumped a curb. My mom and I had thought of a few other offenses but can't really think of them now. All of this to get to the social services office two minutes sooner and to be two people ahead in the line. There were many unique driving techniques encountered that day, but that by far topped the list.Oh yeah...and as far as interstate driving:I was on I-95 South heading toward Rocky Mount once and ended up behind a guy driving w/ one hand, eating an ice cream cone, traveling at 45 miles per hour! I was being tailgated by a MAC TRUCK! And of course I could get over.I'll rant more later.BTW...great topic Wolfie.

I must admit, I'm terribly guilty of tailgating. However, in my defense, it's always on two-lane roads and almost always when someone pisses me off - i.e. Homeboy pulls out in front of me and decides to go 40 in a 55 when I'm going 60 and could've simply waited until I passed as there's no one behind me. Interstates - a big no-no to tailgate. No matter how badly you make me mad, I will not tailgate anyone. It's just too dangerous. At the speed rate everyone is going, it's an accident waiting to happen. Besides, there are lanes to change INTO to pass whomever's grandma it may be.

As hypocritical as it may sound, I don't tolerate anyone tailgating me. Nine times out of ten, they do it (once again) on two-lane roads. Here's where I have my fun. I don't mind them riding me if they're actually trying to pass me. However, if they're just simply being a butt, I wait until there's a car coming in the other lane and slow down to...oh, I dunno...15 maybe 20 - depending on my mood. This way, they can't pass me and they tend to get terrible upset. Also, I don't dare brake-check them as I really don't have the time or patience to deal with an accident. I just simply want to give them a taste of their own medicine - not cause a scene and possibly harm someone.

Now, I drive a lot because I enjoy it and I've seen a lot of idiots. One afternoon, I was on my way home FROM my girlfriend's house. I'm on Highway 280 (a four-lane with a median), minding my own business, and I'm in the right lane as I'm only doing 70 in a 65. Grandpa decides he needs to go the same direction. So, I pay him no mind - thinking (as any sane person would) he will pull out in the left lane and he was making a U-turn FROM the median (which, if you haven't calculated by now, is on the left side of the highway) simply because there's no one in that lane. I suppose he didn't see my 4-door sedan with a spoiler (the only car on the road at this time) and heads towards me. Homeboy wanted in my lane and he didn't care if I was there or not - obviously. If I hadn't swirved off the road, there would've been a huge accident - his fault, of course. I just could've believe someone would do something that ignorant. It's one thing to do something stupid while under pressure and/or as a sudden reaction in defense or something. However, he just simply didn't want to wait for me to zoom by so he decides he'll just hit me out of the way, I suppose. lol

There are many more stories but this is a prime examples of an ape on wheels.

That one's pretty pathetic there.My mom and I were on I-264 today on our way to the mall to exchange a jacket. We were behind a guy who kept swerving back and fourth. At one point, half his car was in the middle lane and half was in the right. Then he swerves the same way INTO the shoulder. He also nearly swerved INTO a step van. Now we could see this guy's white hair and it clearly was someone's Grandpa who nobody had had the guts to stand up to and take the keys from. We are so busy trying not to get in an accident with him that we completely missed the exit we wanted; so we ended up going to a completely different mall as it was faster than turning around. *sigh* Some people just shouldn't have licenses. And Grandpa's kids should have the guts to stand up to him and tell him he can't drive anymore.

I'm in the left lane, and over the course of about 6 miles FROM where I am remembering, this guy (out of state tags) comes up on my butt rather quick, but decides to not even wait for me. He merges over to the far right lane (using merge to be polite for how he was really driving). Proceeds to zoom up ahead, like if the devil was on his heals and his life and soul depended on his getting away at warp speed. He didn't make it much further. The cars ahead of us provided a nice blockade, and the end result was that the exit he got off on, he only gained 3 seconds ahead of me, if I had been trying to get off on the same exit. And I'm actually being generous on how much time he gained by being a hot-shot and flinging his butt FROM lane to lane to gain distance.

So all in all.. Driving 80mph in a 65, tailgating, wreckless driving.. To name only 3 things he could have been nailed for. And he gained, at most, of 3 seconds ahead of me. Over the course of 6 miles. That is NOT a good ratio.

I should mention that when someone wants to pass me, as long as they aren't being an .. uh.. booty about it (to be nice), I'll try to squeak ahead some and merge over to let them pass. Why? Because, they become my first line of defense against speed traps. They scour on ahead, and if there is a speed trap, they find it for me. Such kind people they are when they weed them out for me so I don't have to.

Anyway.. I have SmartTag, and for anyone that doesn't know what it is, it's where you have this "key" that sits in your window just on the right of the rear-view mirror. When you are going through a toll-booth, you can go through any lane, but normally, there is at least 1 lane specifically set aside for the SmartTag subscribers. It's really nice too, as it's 10% cheaper than pay coins, faster, and you only pay for what you use (I can't understand why more people don't get it really). Ok so there were two lanes open for it one time, and I guess this devil decided that they didn't want to wait (oh dear, HAVING to wait a few seconds as opposed to ½min or more.. grow up!) They wanted to leave FROM their SmartTag lane to be in mine. Ok that's cool, but hey buddy, how about letting me pass first? Well ok, I made sure that they waited for me, as I didn't give them a chance. And heh, no one behind me, why were they trying to cut in front? Especially with an unmarked police car in front of me? Good grief. Needless to say that person is a prime example of why Jay Leno makes constant references to Americans needing things "like right now". A SmartTag lane of 10 people can clear up in about 15 seconds, where as a regular coin-toss lane might take a minute or more. Definitely faster, and this person felt that their 1 (or 2) seconds was more important than mine. Yeah, right.

Here's another one that gets me. At any intersection, it is illegal to block it, meaning that if you have the right of way, and your proceeding ahead will cause you to block the intersection at all, then you are supposed to wait. (Yes yes I know, you've already figured out that I'm talking about those morons who block the intersection anyway). Ok so what's hard to understand about this concept folks? You think that being ahead by 10 ft (and risking a ticket, which I have seen people get before just for that very reason) is an exception to the rule? GET A GRIP. Won't you be a happy camper if you pull that stunt and an emergency vehicle cannot pass because your impatient butt is blocking the way and you end up in jail. Try explaining THAT one to a judge. "Well your honor, I'm more important than everyone else, and since the road is mine, I'm allowed to break the laws". Yeah, ok, sit in jail for a few days there, and see if you pull that same crap again. I bet you won't.

And don't anyone get me started on those people who think that every situation they encounter is a 'special exception' to the regular rules. I'm sorry, but if you are at an intersection and want to get INTO a driveway/parking lot and have to drive the WRONG WAY in traffic for more than 2 feet (and I mean 2 feet literally, not figuratively -- which to me isn't driving in the wrong direction because its level with the intersection).. Then I say tough, find another way there. Heck, the one spot I'm thinking of, the next place to make a turn is only 50 feet further. It's legal, safe and more intelligent! 50 FEET! Come on, while I would still disagree with it, I could understand if it was like.. Oh.. A mile to the next place where you could make a turn to try to get to where you are going. But 50 feet?!?

Thing that really gets me is this.. When I've seen people actually showing respect and trying to be kind to others, rush hour traffic moves along swiftly and you wouldn't know it was rush hour. But let one idiot try to be the top dog, and everyone, including that holier-than-thou-moron, end up spending double the time to get past the same stretch of road. Sheesh.

Ok, more ramblings later on this...

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Why Wolfie, I've never read such interesting and attention grabbing ramblings before (and I mean that in all seriousness too). That sounds about like traffic around here. Sheesh, during rush hour it can take an hour to get FROM Virginia Beach Blvd. to Princess Anne road if you try and cut down Witchduck (and I do mean TRY). Of course, Wolfie's ramblings are much more interesting so I'll leave it to the pro. :worship:

A few days ago...I'm driving on the Powhite Parkway, taking the exit to head south on Chippenham Pkwy. I'm in the right of the two lanes going there, and as I am getting ready to merge over, I see a vehicle that I am almost ahead of, so I speed up to gain distance so I can merge in front. The 'holier-than-thou' driver matches my speed to prevent it. By a certain point, the solid white lines (between the left merge lane and the right lane of the Interstate) become broken, meaning that you can legally merge over. After this point, he is still in the same lane, and it gets to a point where I have to slow down to avoid going onto an exit. Then I merge behind the jerk, who at that point merges over to that aforementioned lane. If the moron had merged earlier, I could have merged over and all would have been fine. Ok and on top of it all, these sorry people had the nerve to pass me (before they merged over) and look at me as though *I'm* the one with a problem. I'm not the one who was wanting to have a power play. If the situation had been reversed, I either would have slowed down to let them merge in front, or I would have merged over to the next lane to let them have the lane they needed. This jerk is a good arguement for Road-Rage being a GOOD thing. (Makes me wish I had a jacked up car that could shoot ice-bullets at the tires, so the tires go flat quickly, evidence melts away quickly (heat FROM the friction teehee) and makes the punishment fit the crime). Oh geez that would be nice. Slow down behind them and yell out, "Hey, serves your right for being an a..hole towards other people" and keep on going. What are they gonna do, report me and say, "yeah he shot our tires" and not have a way to EXPLAIN that there are no bullets? He'd look stupid and maybe get tested for alcohol. At any rate, he'd know that if he's a jerk towards others, it could come back on him.

Ok it's an evil idea, but I can dream about it - helps to relieve the frustration. If you want more proof of the need for icebullet-shooters...

Today (Wednesday...)Ok how about this... Went to take some cardboard to recycling. Dropped it off, no problem. Now leaving FROM there, I went to the Boulevard, and there is some road work being done. I get onto the Blvd and am driving a bit slow since it is reduced FROM 2 lanes per side to 1 lane per side and with a lot of bumps. This lady, making a U-turn, decides to cut in front of me. Ok I can't really say too much since she has plenty of space ahead of me. This guy, making a turn off of a side street decides to do the same thing, and they almost hit. Well, the lady was there first and going first, so the way I see it, she has more of a right to go than he does, and she goes right on along. Ok cool, but the guy didn't really stop at the stop sign, and I've reached the intersection and instead of waiting for me to pass by, the guy cuts in front of me, and then proceeds to SHOW me his IQ via sign language. (In other words, he gave me the bird).

Ok at this point, I decided "to heck with it" and decided I'd be a stupid driver for a change. I used my left leg to steer, and proceeded to SHOW him what his IQ x 2 would be. After a moment, he waved his hands up in that "I don't get it" fashion. Then he took the next right (cut me off and then gave me the bird just to go one crummy block when he could have waited for me to pass and there'd be no hard feeling? That's pure stupidity right there.) Well, here is where I got the final word. As I drove by, I showed him his IQ in his direction, while driving on past and not looking at him.

Yes, I know, two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts (or 3 birds?) do.

That felt good. Just would have been nice if his butt had crashed INTO the parked vehicle next to where he came out of. Then I would have pulled over and made sure that he stayed at the scene of the crime. Ok better yet, if during his determination to put me down, he had crashed INTO a vehicle then I could have waited for the police to arrive and said, "Yeah he cut me off, then gave me the bird, and then crashed INTO this car..." Would have looked real bad on him. And what's his excuse gonna be, that I was giving him the double whammy? Oh yeah, let him.. "Ok sir, and let's say he was, does that mean you have to look behind you and ignore where you are going?"

He was in a really stupid position to do what he did. I hope he flicks off the wrong person someday. I bet he'll learn to be a butt-kisser in the future when he's driving. Just hope that his 'someday' is after the new year, because we've had enough murders in the Richmond area already this year.

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